


What Is Love?

by gala_apples



Series: If Love is a Mixtape [1]
Category: X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Bigotry, Gen, Homophobia, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-11
Updated: 2012-04-11
Packaged: 2017-11-03 11:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/380662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gala_apples/pseuds/gala_apples
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bobby doesn't understand how he can love bad people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Is Love?

**Author's Note:**

> If Love is a Mixtape... then life is the tracks you listen to. (each story was written while listening to one song on repeat, for however long it took. In the case of side A track 5, that meant a 3 minute song on repeat for about 6 hours. *head bash*)
> 
> Side A: Bobby  
> Track 1: The Cranberries- Shattered. In this case the inspiration was from certain lines: I don't like you, don't compromise… I'm not very fond of you…

One of the hardest lessons for Bobby to learn is he doesn't have to like someone to love them.

To him the idea is alien. Not the big floppy-headed alien that Artie staunchly believes in. The second meaning of alien, the guy hopping the US-Mexico border. The thought is an intruder into his blue-white-red blood, American eagle brain. Sure, the idea just wants to settle down and take care of its family. Bobby doesn't care, he wants the alien GONE. It's his ~~country~~ brain, and he should get some damn part of the decision about what lives there. And if he says that he can't hate the people he loves, then he fucking well can't.

Except he can, and no amount of freaking out will change the fact that he loves a bigot, he loves a racist, he loves a homophobe, and he loves a liar.

Bobby loves Ronny. His little brother is a prick. Ronny has joined a group of youth church friends that walk around and hand out pamphlets asking, "Do you know what the mutant menace can do?" Bobby felt sick to his stomach when the local news interviewed a church group of under seventeens protesting 'the mutant agenda' of not being branded and tracked. The stupid proud grin was on his brother's face, jostling with a few other teens to try to get in front of the camera. 

He knew going to his house was a bad idea, but they had nowhere else. Bobby can't ask, but he wouldn't be surprised if Ronny called his minister before calling the police to ask what to do, and called his friends afterwards to brag about nearly bagging a few mutants. He loves Ronny, but wants to shake him silly.

Bobby loves his mom. His mom is a bitch. All white women at her work are "you remember Jill, blah blah blah," and "I talked to Alice today, yadda yadda". All black women are "that black person did this". He remembers her years ago, nearly vomiting when she found out the democrats were putting up a black man. It was before Bobby could vote, but he knew that presidents were supposed to be about ideas, not race.

It's a horrible thing to say, but Bobby's glad it was Logan, not Storm, that night. It was bad enough already, it would have been worse with a 'person of colour'. Even using her phrasing makes him want to laugh in her face. He loves his mom, but he just can't deal with her anymore. 

Bobby loves his dad. His dad is a bastard. Not a single day went by without being called a pansy, or a fruitcake, or worst of all, a faggot. His father always used both syllables, the word seemed to crackle in his mouth, snap open and pour disgust. Bobby never came out, he couldn't. It was a statistical impossibility, as likely as finding elephant shit in the bake-sale brownies.

When John defended him, when Logan said he was an art teacher, he knew things were going to get ugly. Not that ugly was violent, just harsh words and ostracism, until Bobby 'came to his senses' and 'made the right choice.' He loves his dad, but every minute he strains not to give him the finger.

Bobby loves Johnny. John is an asshole. He's not sure when he realised that he was allowed to think someone was an impulsive idiot, and still want them around. It was probably in the seconds after the alarm scraped all mutants from the inside out. He still doesn't understand why John never told him he was restless, just left without proper warning. He thinks if he was ever to meet John again, he'd punch him in the face and then hug him.

To put it mildly, Bobby is not fond of the people he loves. The problem is, he does like Rogue. So what does that mean?


End file.
